Flat panel display mounting apparatuses
In at least one embodiment, a flat panel display mounting apparatus includes a mounting mechanism adapted to be placed between a flat panel display and a mounting plate of a display stand, the mounting mechanism including a retractable mounting tab that extends into a recess formed in a body of the mounting mechanism.
Flat panel displays of the type often used with a personal computer (PC) typically mount to mounting plate of a display stand. Such an arrangement is shown in
A display stand 106 is provided that includes a base 108 and a support column 110 that extends from the base. Extending from the top of the support column 110 is a swing arm 112 that, for example, can be pivoted relative to the support column to adjust the orientation of the display 100 once it is mounted to the stand 106.
Positioned at the end of the swing arm 112 is a mounting plate 114 that includes a plurality of mounting holes 116 that are arranged in the same orientation as the mounting holes 102 of the display 100. By way of example, the mounting plate 114 and its holes 116, as well as the display's mounting holes 102, comply with the video electronics standards association (VESA) mounting standard that has been established for flat panel displays.
To mount the display 100 to the stand 106, threaded fasteners 118, such as screws, are passed through the mounting holes 116 of the mounting plate 114 and are threaded into the mounting holes 102 of the display.
Although the mounting arrangement described above and illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, a flat panel display mounting apparatus includes a mounting mechanism adapted to be placed between a flat panel display and a mounting plate of a display stand, the mounting mechanism including a retractable mounting tab that extends into a recess formed in a body of the mounting mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe disclosed apparatuses can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale.
Disclosed herein are flat panel display mounting apparatuses that enable rapid removal and/or replacement of a flat panel display relative to a display stand. More particularly, disclosed are quick-release mounting apparatuses that enable a display to be quickly removed from or mounted to a display stand without the need for any tools, such as a screwdriver. In one embodiment, a mounting mechanism is provided that attaches to a flat panel display and that includes tabs that grip a mounting plate of a display stand. In another embodiment, a mounting apparatus includes an adapter that attaches to the display stand mounting plate and a mounting mechanism of the flat panel display that interfaces with the adapter.
Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,
Formed in the front side of the body 202 is a recess 208 that is sized and configured to receive a VESA-compliant mounting plate. Accordingly to current VESA mounting standards, such a mounting plate has height and width dimensions of 90 millimeters (mm) or 115 mm, depending upon the mounting hole spacing used (see below). Formed within the recess 208 is a plurality of mounting holes 210 that, as is apparent from
With specific reference to
Referring now to
When the lever 216 is moved downward, as is indicated by arrows 406 in
Referring next to
After the mounting mechanism 200 has been attached to the flat panel display 600 in the manner described in relation to
When the flat panel display 600 is mounted in the above-described manner, the upper and lower mounting tabs 212, 214 grip the display stand mounting plate 704 as shown in
The flat panel display 600 can be removed from the display stand 700 by reversing the process described above. Specifically, the lever 216 can be moved downward to retract the lower mounting tab 214 so as to enable the bottom of the flat panel display 600 to be pivoted away from the display stand 700 to partially remove the display stand mounting plate 704 from the mounting mechanism recess 208. The flat panel display 600 can then be simply lifted up off of the display stand to disengage the upper mounting tab 212 from the mounting plate 704.
From the above, it can be appreciated that flat panel displays having the attached mounting mechanism 200 can be quickly and easily mounted to and removed from a display stand without the need for any tools. Accordingly, a nonfunctioning display can be rapidly replaced so as to minimize inconvenience to the display user.
The second mounting mechanism 900 shares several of the features of the first mounting mechanism 200 described in relation to
Formed in the front side of the body 902 is a recess 906 that is sized and configured to receive a VESA-compliant mounting plate. Formed within the recess 906 is a plurality of mounting holes 908 that extend through the body 902 from the front side to the back side of the body. By way of example, two sets of four mounting holes 908 are provided in similar manner to that described in relation to the first mounting mechanism 200.
Instead of two opposed mounting tabs, however, the mounting mechanism 900 comprises tab-receiving openings 910 formed in the body 902 adjacent the top of the recess 906, and mounting tabs 912 positioned adjacent the bottom of the recess. The openings 910 are adapted to receive tabs of an adapter that is attached to a mounting plate of a display stand. The mounting tabs 912 are retractable in similar manner to that described above in relation to the lower mounting tab 214 of the first mounting mechanism 200 and may be biased in similar manner to the biasing of the lower mounting tab. Therefore, as is indicated in
Extending from the top of the plate 1202 are mounting tabs 1206. As is indicated in
Extending horizontally from the bottom of the plate 1202 are tab-receiving members 1212 that include tab-receiving slots 1214. The slots 1214 are specifically adapted for receiving the mounting slots 912 of the mounting mechanism 900 (see
In embodiments in which the mounting mechanism 900 is separate from the flat panel display, the mechanism is attached to the display prior to mounting the display on a display stand.
In embodiments in which the mounting mechanism 900 forms part of the flat panel display, i.e., the display is constructed so as to comprise an integral mounting mechanism, no such attachment is necessary. In such a case, the mounting holes 908 of the display mounting mechanism can be omitted.
Referring next to
As is apparent in
Referring now to
Once the mounting tabs 1206 are received by the tab-receiving openings 910, the bottom of the flat panel display 1300 can be pivoted toward the display stand 1400 as is indicated by arrow 1502 in
Claims
1. A flat panel display mounting apparatus, comprising:
- a mounting mechanism adapted to be placed between a flat panel display and a mounting plate of a display stand, the mounting mechanism including a retractable mounting tab that extends into a recess formed in a body of the mounting mechanism.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recess is adapted to receive a VESA-compliant mounting plate of the display stand.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the retractable mounting tab is adapted to grip a first edge of the mounting plate.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the mounting mechanism further includes a further mounting tab positioned opposite to the retractable mounting tab and adapted to grip a second edge of the mounting plate, wherein the mounting mechanism grips the mounting plate between the two mounting tabs.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an adapter that attaches to the mounting plate, wherein the mounting mechanism recess is adapted to receive the adapter.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the adapter includes a mounting tab and the mounting mechanism includes a tab-receiving opening formed within the recess, the adapter mounting tab being receivable in the tab-receiving opening.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the adapter includes a tab-receiving member that includes a slot that is adapted to receive the retractable mounting tab of the mounting mechanism when the adapter is positioned within the mounting mechanism recess.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting mechanism includes mounting holes that enable the mounting mechanism to be attached to the flat panel display.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting mechanism is integrated with the flat panel display so as to form part of the flat panel display.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a biasing element that biases the retractable mounting tab toward an extended position.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the biasing element includes a spring that is provided within the body of the mounting mechanism.
12. A flat panel display mounting apparatus, comprising:
- means for receiving a mounting plate of a display stand; and
- means for releasably gripping the received mounting plate, the means for releasably gripping being configured such that the mounting plate can be gripped to mount a flat panel display to the display stand and released to remove the flat panel display from the display stand without the use of any tools.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for receiving comprise a recess in which the mounting plate can be positioned.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for releasably gripping comprise opposed mounting tabs that grip the edges of the mounting plate when the plate is positioned within the recess, at least one of the mounting tabs being retractable.
15. A flat panel display mounting apparatus, comprising:
- means for adapting a mounting plate of a display stand;
- means for receiving the means for adapting; and
- means for releasably securing the means for adapting, the means for releasably securing being configured such that the means for adapting can be secured to mount a flat panel display to the display stand and released to remove the flat panel display from the display stand without the use of any tools.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for adapting comprise an adapter that attaches to the mounting plate.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for receiving comprise a recess in which the adapter can be positioned.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the means for releasably securing comprise a mounting tab and a tab-receiving member of the adapter and a tab-receiving opening and a retractable mounting tab associated with the recess, the adapter mounting tab being receivable in the tab-receiving opening and the retractable mounting tab being receivable in the adapter tab-receiving member.
19. A display mounting mechanism, comprising:
- a body;
- a recess formed in the body, the recess being adapted to receive a display stand mounting plate;
- a first mounting tab positioned at a first side of the recess; and
- a second mounting tab positioned at a second side of the recess, the second side being opposite to the first side, the second mounting tab being retractable such that the distance between the first and second mounting tabs can be changed to enable and disable passage of the mounting plate into and out from the recess.
20. The mechanism of claim 19, wherein the recess is adapted to receive a VESA-compliant mounting plate.
21. The mechanism of claim 19, further comprising mounting holes positioned within the recess that extend through the body.
22. The mechanism of claim 19, further comprising a lever that is used to retract the second mounting tab.
23. The mechanism of claim 19, further comprising a biasing element that biases the second mounting tab toward an extended position.
24. A display mounting apparatus, comprising:
- an adapter that attaches to a display stand mounting plate, the adapter including a mounting tab and a tab-receiving member; and
- a mounting mechanism including a body having a recess formed therein, the recess being adapted to receive the adapter, the mounting mechanism further including a tab-receiving opening positioned within the recess that is adapted to receive the adapter mounting tab and a retractable mounting tab positioned within the recess that is adapted to be received by the adapter tab-receiving member.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the mounting mechanism is integrated with a flat panel display so as to form a part of the display.
26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the mounting mechanism further includes a lever that is used to retract the retractable mounting tab.
27. The mechanism of claim 24, further comprising a biasing element that biases the retractable mounting tab toward an extended position.
28. A flat panel display, comprising:
- a rear surface; and
- a mounting mechanism positioned on the rear surface, the mounting mechanism including a retractable mounting tab that extends into a recess formed in a body of the mounting mechanism.
29. The display of claim 28, wherein the mounting mechanism recess is adapted to receive an adapter that attaches to a display stand mounting plate and wherein the mounting mechanism includes a tab-receiving opening that is adapted to receive a mounting tab of the adapter and a retractable mounting tab that is adapted to be received by a tab-receiving member of the adapter.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 13, 2004
Publication Date: Apr 13, 2006
Inventor: Paul Drew (The Woodlands, TX)
Application Number: 10/963,871
International Classification: F16L 3/00 (20060101);